1995 marks the third annual conference sponsored by the USC College of Library and Information Science to provide practicing librarians and other information professionals from across the Southeast with an information update focused on leading-edge topics.
This year's conference, "The Internet at a Crossroads," explored the implications of the Internet's transition from a largely research/education information service to a prototype of the multi-purpose information infrastructure of the future. The second day, co-sponsored by MidNet, the new community information network serving Columbia and the surrounding Midlands, focused on the synergy between libraries and community networks.
Graduate students taking the course on Information Networks / Resource Sharing were given the opportunity to attend the conference. To satisfy part of their course requirements, many chose to write summaries of sessions thought to be of general interest to persons unable to attend. Contained herein are the results of their efforts.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS:
UPCOMING CHANGES IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS
LAWS, REGULATIONS, AND POLICY
Mr. Kevin Joseph, Professional Staff, Subcommittee on Communications
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.
Business Uses of the Internet
Internet Resources for K-12
Integrating the Internet into Academic Library
Services
Public Libraries, Automation and Electronic Resources
South Carolina Government Information Networks
Public Libraries and Free Nets
Provider Options for Internet Access
Basics of Networks
GIS -- Mapping Your Community
Capturing Information in Multimedia
Libraries, Distance Education and Technology
Telephone Companies, Cable Companies and Legislation
Information Technology A to Z
Electronic Information Resources for Academic Libraries
Copyright Considerations for Electronic Information Transfer
Grant Money Availability
Dr. Stephen Bajjaly, College of Library and Information Science,
USC
In this sesssion, Dr. Bajjaly demonstrated how businesses are integrating the Internet into work activities and how the information professional can assist both new and experienced Internet users.
Ms. Elizabeth Miller, College of Library and Information Science,
USC
Educational resources for all curriculum areas are available
on the Internet. This session showed how to find these resources,
including newspaper, historic documents, collaborative projects,
and lesson plans.
Mr. Bob Neville, Mr. Mike Phillips, and Mr. Jerry Seary
College of Charleston Library
With the expanding capabilities of libraries to access
information electronically, the Internet has become a vital part
of service to the academic library community. Many expanded
resources are available.
Ms. Cynthia Kent, South Carolina State Library
For the public libraries in SC, the State Library provides
needed support in the areas of automation and electronic
resources. This session informed the audience of what is
available.
Ms. Dell Kinlaw, Mr. Kemble Oliver, Ms. Ruth Kirkland, and Mr.
Charles Poole
South Carolina Budget and Control Board,
Research and Statistical Services
With funding from NTIA, the South Carolina Budget and
Control Board is working to set up an information network for the
state of South Carolina. The progress on this, future plans,
as well as the grant money to fund the process, were the
subject of this session.
Mr. Don Beagle, Charleston County Public Library, COASTNET
Mr. Ben Breazeale, College of Library & Information Science,
MidNet
Ms. Patricia Rychman, Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Public Library,
Charlotte's Web
Ms. Cate Townsend, Research Consultant, Greenwood
Mr. Dan Williams, Greenville County Public Library, MCI Library
Link
These panelists gave a brief presentation and answered
questions about the community networks in their area, either
currently operating or proposed.
Mr. Lee Hemphill, The State Newspaper
Everyone who wants access to the Internet needs to know about the
best provider for their particular needs. This session provided an overview of the large, small, corporate, and independent Internet service providers.
Mr. Ron Price, Computer Serives Division, USC
This session explained the terms and concepts of networks
including token ring, router, 10-base T, FDDI and protocol.
Mr. Lynn Shirley, Humanities and Social Sciences Lab, USC
GIS can be used to evaluate your community for marketing
analysis and decision making based on demographics. This session
taught how to use this very effective tool.
Mr. Barry Hudson, Westinghouse, Savannah River Site, Aiken, SC
This demonstration provided a tutorial on the basic
datatypes and technologies associated with multimedia capture,
storage and access to Macintosh and Windows workstations, and
eventual transfer to CD-ROM.
Mr. Patrick Calhoun, University Automated Systems, USC
Libraries
The University of South Carolina has widened the scope of
activities its library system encompasses. Planning for such
technological change and growth was the subject of this
session.
Mr. Les Dickert, Sun Belt Net
Ms. Carol Jaworski, Bell South Business Systems
Mr. James E. Byrd, Southern Bell Corporate and External
Affairs
Mr. Bud Tibshrany, Cablevision Industries--CVI
Mr. Kevin Joseph, Professional Staff, Committee on Commerce,
Science and Transportation; Subcommittee on Communications,
U.S. Senate
These panelists made a brief presentation on issues
concerning the construction, regulation, development,
accessibility, and future direction of the information
superhighway. Each has a particular area of expertise. They
then answered audience questions.
Mr. Tom Lowrimore, Spartanburg County Public Library
This session covered the essential information for
interpretation of all those strange words and acronyms associated
with information technology and the Internet.
Ms. Beth Helsel, Clemson University
This session detailed the experience of a large academic
library in providing on-line resources to its patrons. Both the
successes and the failures were discussed.
Ms. Marsha Baum, Law School Library, USC
As the transfer of information is done more and more by
electronic means, there are some unique issues to be considered
in the copyright of this information. This session covered many
of these issues.
Mr. Tommy Coggins, Sponsored Programs and Research, USC
Ms. Pat Hatcher, Sponsored Programs and Research, USC
You know that you need to upgrade technologically, but you
have no source of capital. This session gave some basic
information on targeting funding sources, proposal/grant writing,
initial contacts, and follow-up.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Consortium Building: Getting Your Community Network Off the
Ground
Mr. Steve Snow, Charlotte's Web, Charlotte, NC
A truly successful community networking project involves a
broad-base consortuim of every type of organization. Perhaps no
community networking project has worked harder than Charlotte, NC
to solicit involvement and support. Mr. Snow, Project Director
for Charlotte's Web, and his staff discussed what is necessary
to get a community network off the ground.
An Alternative Model of Community
Networking
Mr. P.J. Goodwin, Appalachian Council of Governments,
Greenville, SC
With funding from NTIA, the Appalachian council of
Governments (ACOG), based in the upstate of South Carolina, is
working to design a statewide telecommunications network to link
most state residents to the Internet. Ms. Workman, Directory of
Information Services for ACOG, discussed the goals of this
project and the demonstration project under development using the
ACOG public access network, AppNet, as a foundation.
Community Networking Funding Sources
Ms. Sybil Boutilier, San Francisco City Link, San Francisco, CA
Supporting the goals and objectives of the National
Information Infrastructure, largely through community networking,
is drawing attention from an increasing number of funding
sources. Ms. Boutilier provided a comprehensive overview of
the sources every community ought to consider.
PeachNet Update
Mr. Tom McMullan, PeachNet, Atlanta, GA
PeachNet, the communications network of the Georgia
University System, is emerging as the electronic network for
education across the State of Georgia. In this session, Mr.
McMullan discussed recent developments in the advancement of
this important statewide network.
Developing an Effective Media Campaign
Ms. Ann Addy, Solutions, Inc., Columbia, SC
Getting the word out about your community network is an
important part of network education and training activities.
This session reviewed the basics of a media plan and discussed
how to deal effectively with media coverage.
Involving Local Governments
Ms. Marilyn Mulla, Suncoast Free-Net, Tampa, FL
While the support and information provided by local
government are critical to a successful community networking
project, these groups are often the most challenging to get
involved. Ms. Mulla discussed the strategies employed by the
Suncoast Free-Net, serving the Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater (Florida) metropolitan area, to solicit widespread government support for their community networking effort.
Rural Access and Datafication
Mr. Dennis Hoops, National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN),
Cleveland, OH
The National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN) founded and
now promotes the Free-Net model of community networking by working to
sign up affiliates in communities across North America. Only one organizing group per community may affiliate with NPTN. This session provided an overview of the benefits that NPTN affiliation may offer your community and the steps you should take to start an NPTN community computer system.
The Morino Institute
Ms. Kaye Gapen, The Morino Institute, Reston, VA
The Morino Institute is a nonprofit foundation committed to
helping individuals and communitites work toward social change
through the power of information and the potential of electronic
communications. In this session, Ms. Gapen discussed the
initiatives being taken by the Institute and its founder,
Mario Morino, to asist community networking efforts
nationwide.
Measuring the Impact of Community
Networking
Dr. Dan Barron, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Community networking offers many exciting potential
benefits. This session offered a facilitated discussion about
the most important criteria for a successful community networking
project and how best to measure success.
Developing an Effective Volunteer Corps
Ms. Carolyn Felton, Charlotte's Web, Charlotte, NC
It is often said that volunteers are the lifeblood of any
community network. Any veteran will tell you that it's easier
said than done. In this session, Ms. Felton reviewed the
comprehensive program underway to involve volunteers in all
aspects of running Charlotte's Web.
ISDN Community Networking: The DIANE Project
Dr. Steve Shao, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN
The Diversified Information and Assistance Network(DIANE),
based in Nashville, TN, uses digital telephone and multimedia
computer technologies to support programs in education, small
business assistance, and community service. Started in 1992, the
project now has service centers in Nashville and Memphis, as well
as Huntsville, AL, to provide cooperative public programs in
public libraries, universities, community centers, business
assistance organizations, a science museum, a zoological park,
and a medical school. Dr Shao, Project Director discussed the
high-tech, multimedia capabilites offered by this network and the
benefits it provides to users.
Nuts and Bolts of Community Networking
Mr. Randolph Langley, Tallahassee Free-Net, Tallahassee, FL
Underneath every successful community information network
lies a complex computer and telecommunications system. This
session discusses the newest features in the Tallahassee
software -- a popular system used by many community networks --
and presented many useful "tricks of the trade" from a
seasoned systems administrator.
Benefits of National Public Telecomputing
Network (NPTN) Affiliation
Mr. Dennis Hoops, National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN),
Cleveland, OH
The National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN) founded and
sponsors the Free-Net model of community networking and works to
sign up affiliates in communities across North America. Only one
organizing group per community may affiliate with NPTN. This
session provideed an overview of the benefits that
NPTN affiliation may offer a community and the steps one should
take to start and NPTN-affiliated community network.
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